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Color Page 2 • Terre Haute Tribune-Star • September 24 - 30, 2023 Some investigators just have the knack when it comes to seeing the missing piece in confounding investi- gations. In "The Irrational," a brand-new crime procedural premiering Monday, Sept. 25, on NBC, Prof. Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin, "The Flash") is pulled from the world of academia to lend his highly sought-after expertise to virtual- ly unsolvable cases. "The Irrational" is based on the popular book "Predictably Irratio- nal" by author Dan Ariely, about the theories behind decision-making and rational thought. The series drops Mercer into active investigations in dire need of a fresh perspective. With law enforcement and investigators at a loss for tying suspects and motives to shocking crimes, the professor joins the team to lead them down his unique path of discovery. In its series description, NBC notes that Mercer's "insight and uncon- ventional approach to understanding human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries." In the official trailer for the series, Mercer is seen very much at home at the front of a lecture hall, teaching one of his psychology intro courses before he meets a little bit of resistance when he encounters law enforcement. An in- vestigator asks him if he's the "science guy," leading Mercer to quip, "That's Bill Nye. I'm actually the behavioral sciences guy." His sense of humor shows itself again when his theoreti- cal approaches are gently questioned before he remarks, "Gravity was just a theory at one point." What are the methods behind Mer- cer's breakthrough analysis of these high-profile, dead-end cases? Well, the trailer gives a glimpse into the theories he uses to shed light on where inves- tigative trails have gone cold. Mercer shoots off a few choice $10 phrases like "predictable irrationality," "para- doxical persuasion," "attentional blind- ness" and "bereavement sex" as some of the things knocking around his head as he takes a new look at tough cases. While Mercer is increasingly pulled away from his academic work as he successfully aids federal investigations, he does make sure to keep two of his best and brightest graduate students in the loop. Molly Kunz ("Chicago Fire") stars as Phoebe, a protégé of Mercer's who enthusiastically follows in her professor's footsteps, both literally and figuratively. Arash DeMaxi ("Partner Track") is Owen, another one of Mer- cer's students who gets pulled into his new side gig. The new series also stars Maahra Hill ("Delilah") as FBI agent Marisa, Mercer's main contact and partner in these investigations. Travina Springer ("Ms. Marvel") is Kylie, Mercer's sister and current roommate. While the pair are close siblings, Kylie is more of a free spirit than Mercer, who uses his own creativity to shake up bureaucra- cies. Soma Chhaya ("The Breadwin- ner," 2017) stars as Jasmine and Ella Cannon ("iZombie") is Lila. "The Irrational" debuts following the singing competition series "The Voice" on NBC and joins the new series "Found," the network's second new original series premiering this fall. Another procedural, "Found" follows a crisis management team that focuses on finding missing people. With most networks relying on non-scripted series amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AF- TRA strikes, NBC's new scripted dramas will be some of the fall's lone non-competition or reality offerings. coverstory BY SARAH PASSINGHAM Jesse L. Martin , Molly Kunz and Arash DeMaxi in "The Irrational" New clues: 'The Irrational' takes an unexpected approach to investigating crime What turned out to be the final season of "Charmed" added someone to the cast who would become an even bigger star on another show soon after- ward: Kaley Cuoco. TNT runs the eighth-and-last-season premiere episode of the sibling-witch saga (titled "Still Charmed & Kicking") Friday, Sept. 29, with Phoebe, Piper and Paige (played by Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan) presumed to be deceased … which is not the case. They hope that being free of any expectations from others will allow them to reboot their lives, but that wish crumbles fairly quickly, as Paige has to help another sorceress (Cuoco) who has gotten herself into trouble while on a quest to locate her own missing sister. Though she only was in the conclud- ing year of this series, Cuoco wouldn't be out of work very long, relatively speaking, since "The Big Bang Theory" started a year later. Kaley Cuoco in "Charmed" Recalling Kaley Cuoco's "Charmed" existence classiccorner BY JAY BOBBIN "Up" (Freeform, Tuesday, Sept. 26): One of the most heartfelt Disney-Pixar animated attractions, this 2009 feature makes excel- lent use of Ed Asner's distinctive voice, speaking the words of a senior-citizen widower trying to fulfill a promise he made to his late wife. He hooks many helium balloons onto his house, making it an airborne vehicle – with an extra passenger aboard, a youngster (voice of Jordan Nagai) trying to earn a scout badge for helping elderly people. Christopher Plummer also is heard. "Serpico" (MGM+, Friday, Sept. 29): Al Pacino is superb in director Sidney Lumet's 1973 drama, the true story of New York police detective Frank Serpico, who made himself a marked man with many in his department through his exposure of some other cops' corrupt practices. As is traditional with Lumet films set in the Big Apple, the atmosphere of the city itself is a star of the film, but nothing else here overshadows Pacino's Oscar-nominated perfor- mance. The cast also includes Tony Roberts, John Randolph and Cornelia Sharpe. more retro rewinds